30 in 30: Visit Your Career Center

As a senior or recent college graduate, you have one very unique job resource at your disposal: your college’s career services and alumni offices. Some career centers are great and some are not so great, but the question is, why not? This is a free resource, provided by an institution that, at least theoretically, has your best interest in mind. Not only will the office hook you up with other alums on similar career paths, but it will also furnish you with openings from companies who are specifically targeting your school. Even if they don’t have any direct relationships with recruiters in the industries that interest you, the alumni office should at least be able to plug you into alumni networks. Because collegiate blood runs so bizarrely deep, these contacts can be priceless when it comes to getting a foot in the door.

Looking for a job in the new year? Be sure to stay on top of all the essential job-hunting tips from Gradspot's new series, 30 in 30: The Insider's Guide to Job-Hunting in '09. If you'd like to share your own tips with the Gradspot community, email 30in30 [at] gradspot [dot] com with your tip, your occupation/industry of interest, and your name as you'd like it to appear on the site.